by Kent Lowe
For LSU freshman Storm Warren, the night he pulled off one of basketball’s rarest moments was just another night on the court for him because he was doing exactly what he tries to do every time he plays: “bring his ?A’ game.”
In late January, in a game against Green Oaks of Shreveport, the Richwood High of Monroe product scored 27 points, had 17 rebounds, blocked 10 shots and dished out 10 assists in a 70-50 win. For the 6-7 Warren, it was another night at the high school office, but he admits that he was challenged that night to do something special.
“Some of my teammates were taking (GreenOaks) lightly,” Warren recalled of the game. “Our coach (Terry Martin, Sr.) said that being the captain of the team, it was going to be a night I had to step up and do everything that was possible in order for us to win. So I stepped up and did whatever was necessary for us to win. I don’t take anyone lightly. I went out there with a no-lose mentality and did whatever it took to win.”
And not that he is a stat watcher like some players who can call out their number of assists to the stat crew as they run down the floor. “I don’t keep up with that,” Warren said. “That’s for other people. I look at the clock and the time and make sure that we are up and that we are going to stay up and what I have to do for us to come out with a win.”
Warren’s coach is the father of LSU senior Terry Martin, Jr. “(Coach Martin) made sure by game time that you were well-prepared and well-equipped. He’s was going to give you all of the tools to accomplish whatever you needed to accomplish on and off the court.”
Warren, the MVP of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class AAA team, has been on the LSU campus since the summer and feels like a school veteran now.
“Summer school was the main time I had to get used to everything down here (at LSU),” he said. “That was kind of crazy. Everything seemed so fast and up tempo. But I kept up with everything. I finished with a 3.0 (GPA) in the summer. School is going good for me right now. I’m pretty settled in and I know my way around. That’s mainly the toughest thing ? finding your way around and then it’s getting to meet new people and the new atmosphere.
“It’s a great atmosphere here, but it’s new when you first get here and you never know what to expect,” Warren said.
Like the rest of the Tigers, Warren has been going through the conditioning drills of basketball strength coach Juan Pablo Reggiardo and the individual workouts on the court in preparation for the start of practice in a week.
“I didn’t expect to come here and it be easy,” Warren smiled about the pace and type of workouts. “My body is going through some things getting used to it, but I know at the end that nothing worth getting is going to come easy and I’m willing to work and give it all I’ve got.”
Giving it all he’s got and bringing his “A” game will be the things new Tiger coach Trent Johnson will be looking for when the pre-season practice session get underway in preparation for the first game on Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center against Jackson State. Season tickets for the school record 21-game home schedule remain on sale at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office and online at LSUSports.net starting at just $100.